A Total Hunk

Remain Calm, Take it Slow Kill Them with Kindness

A Total Hunk

“When once I knew what people in general would be likely to do, I should know you would do the opposite.” --George Eliot, DANIEL DERONDA

Alan and I love the island of Aruba. Alan was there before as a young boy with his parents. I’m glad we went there. We will fly to New York City for a brief spell before returning to Los Angeles. I spotted and visited a restaurant called CHEZ MATHILDE (Mathilde, my paternal grandmother). You can imagine how excited I became. I took one of their postcards and used it to write to mom:

March 3, 1999

Hi Mom,

Aruba has such a beautiful, clear blue beach. There were a lot of “fatties” on the beach. I’m on the plane now headed for New York.

Did you know Mathilde is a French name? Maybe this is a hint of proof about Mathilde’s grandfather being that French soldier. Well, this Mathilde Restaurant was A+ for service, ambiance and food.

Love You,

Michael

Another postcard to mom from the boutique Hotel Plaza Athenee at 17 E 64th St:

March 3, 1999

Hi Mommy,

It's great being here in the “heart” of the financial world. Hilary Clinton is here in New York today, too. In my business it’s important to be a part of the New York pulse.

It’s a bit cooler here compared to L.A. but I can easily adjust to varied climatic conditions. There’s a gym here, too—so that helps.

Love,

Michael Armijo

P.S. I have your ARUBA refrigerator magnet.

I told Alan we had to write each other postcards. We wrote while at a cafe. It’s fun to people watch and eavesdrop at cafes but it’s also very fun to write postcards to the person sitting next to you (even if they try to peek at what you’re writing). Here’s what Alan wrote me, using the Aruba postcard he chose:

3/3/99 8:20AM

Dear Michael,

Well, what can I say? This was the ideal week of fun, sun and fresh fish. The only negative was the bald gay man and not enough exercise. Of course, it could have been better if our Verona 30 stocks and Internet 10 stocks closed higher.

Instead of recounting the types of fish or 5 cent slot machines or foo-foo drinks or time-sharing resorts, let me tell you one thing. I Love You. I Enjoy You. It’s so relaxing and exciting to be with you alone.

We are now off to the Plaza Athenee via the Luxury Link deal. I’m sure we will enjoy the third part of this trip. Maybe we can go dancing on Friday or Saturday night. How about tea somewhere? Should we go to the NYSE for a Verona picture? Well, let’s just see how we feel.

You got so tan and look so good. Remember “Catch of the Day” Aruba Style, no butter. In conclusion, I had a great time resting and picking you up on the beach. You’re A Total Hunk.

Love You,

Alan

I also sent Paloma a postcard that included a Bonus Recipe of SEVICHE:

Photo: ADONIS, A Total Hunk

March 3, 1999, Dearest Paloma,

We made it to ARUBA. 80% of the tourists are from the USA. What was horrible was the FAT people you look at on these beautiful beaches. I'm NO PRIZE but I looked like an ADONIS compared to most of them. Ha-ha

The fresh Caribbean fish was absolutely fantastic. One day I still want to go to that island off the coast of Africa that you went to. What was it called? Seychelles? Now we are headed for New York to see Lauren, Alan's daughter who goes to New York University. I think I told you.

Love, Michael

And one more postcard for mom that I picked up and saved when I was in Shanghai, China back in 1994. The artist is Jia Shun Li and the postcard is from her original oil on linen painting titled A Canal in Shanghai.